Blazers Sweep Endicott For NECC Crown

BEVERLY, Mass. – The Elms College men's volleyball team avenged two regular-season losses to No. 14 Endicott College when it mattered most, beating the Gulls in three sets in the New England Collegiate Conference championship match to secure the program's second-ever NCAA Tournament berth.

The Blazers won 25-21, 25-23 and 25-20 to knock off the five-time defending NECC champions. Freshman Jeremy Torres (Juncos, P.R.) led the way with 15 kills for Elms while John Dunphy dished out 20 assists. Elms hit .232 in the match and held Endicott to just .023.

NECC CHAMPIONS!#BlazerPride pic.twitter.com/FxF5Qw2mx7

— Elms Athletics (@ElmsBlazers) April 14, 2018

Jovanny Torres (Juncos, P.R.) added seven kills, five blocks and a team-high nine digs and Jake Johnson (Warwick, R.I.) added five kills and seven blocks to help propel the Blazers to victory.

No Endicott player finished with more than five kills, as Donovan Dey, Bryn Lipton and Jeremy Doski finished with five each but none hit better than Dey's .188 mark. Chad Riorden led the Gulls with 13 assists.

The Blazers played from the lead for the majority of the contest trailing only on three brief occasions and never by more than two points. Elms held a 38-30 advantage in digs and 13-6 lead in blocks. Gabriel Levy eanred Tournament MVP honors while Jeremy Torres and Jovanny Torres each earned sports on the all-tournament team.

Elms will await its NCAA Tournament matchup, and will take a seven-match winning streak into the post-season.

The Blazers reached the 20-win milestone with the victory, improving to 20-6 on the season. It is the program's third 20-win season, all under head coach Sheila Gisbrecht. Endicott ends its season at 23-4 overall.